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Malaysian artisans head to Venice Biennale 2027
MALAYSIAN artisans Ng Chi Wang, Lee Shao Chin and Koh Eng Keat will take part in the British Pavilion at the 20th International Architecture Exhibition of the 2027 Venice Biennale as part of a UK-Malaysia team.
The collaboration marks 70 years of diplomatic relations between the UK and Malaysia through a joint exhibition.
The project pairs the Malaysian artists with UK-based curators Dr Guan Lee and Mike Lim, alongside Maria McLintock and Ben Swaby Selig.
Selected from six shortlisted proposals, the team was chosen by a panel of architects, educators and cultural professionals from both countries, chaired by British Pavilion Commissioner Sevra Davis.
The exhibition will examine impermanence in architecture, diaspora culture and how migration reshapes living traditions in Malaysia and beyond.
It draws from Malaysian ritual paper architecture, particularly structures built for the Hungry Ghost Festival, where temporary forms made from recycled paper and bamboo are created, used and released.
Davis said the proposal connects architecture with ritual and cultural memory while continuing the Pavilion’s focus on international collaboration.
The curatorial team said the project will present the Hungry Ghost Festival as a living tradition shaped by migration and acts of care for ancestors and spirits.
The exhibition will run from May 8 to Nov 21, 2027, with a pre-opening scheduled for May 6 and 7.
